I'm a huge Mondraker fan (have owned 2) and the Neat is a pretty special bike. However, I have to admit after riding my Relay F60 for a year, I just would not want a reduction in power and especially battery life.
Unfortunately, the TQ HP50 is very inefficient with its limited battery watts due to its unique design.
Francis Cebedo did climbs and measured how much battery juice was used with the different e-bikes and a quick calculation showed that the Fazua 60 models could have made the same climb about 6.5x more than the TQ HP (going off memory honestly). This is because of the smaller battery and the lower efficiency of the TQ.
I ran my Fazua down to 18% last weekend (most ever) and I just would not want a reduction in range and power. Unfortunately, power corrupts. I started off being adamant that my Relay would remain in the lowest setting and I was content like that for a long while. But as time went on, I began wanting more and more power and now use the middle and rocket setting much more.
As I've said on MTBR, I agree. The Relay is an amazing bike and I wouldn't switch if I were in your shoes but for others my personal experience has gone like this:
1. Levo SL (2022)-Hated virtually every single thing about this bike and shouldn't have bought it. Whiny motor that annoyed me, heavy, etc. Luckily I sold it it within the first week of buying it for a mere $300 loss.
2. Pivot Shuttle LT (2023)-After the terrible Levo SL experience I was skeptical that I'd buy another e-bike so it took a while but then I tired the Shuttle LT. The first handful of rides were fun and I enjoyed it but I'll admit that I got bored quickly. I realized at that point that full power e-bikes aren't for me (until I had to learn that lesson again). For what it was though, great bike. I just don't have any interest in a very heavy bike where using less than the full assistance mode compromises the utility of the bike.
3. Transition Relay(2023)-Awesome bike, loved everything about it when I rode it but very rarely used more than the lightest assist mode. Didn't ride it very often however and I don't foresee a scenario where I ride pedal assist bikes as my primary bike until I'm physically unable to ride a normal bike but this one provided a normal bike feel for the most part. Shouldn't have sold it but I needed to learn my lesson again so...
4. Transition Repeater PT(2023)-I'm also a sucker for tech and sold the Relay after buying a Repeater PT (before I rode it however). It was fine but, again, boring. I only ended up riding like 90 miles on it before selling it.
5. Mondraker Neat RR SL(2024)-I was about ready to pull the trigger on another Relay when I was able to obtain a Neat so I went with that instead. Amazing bike and the way I have it setup the battery is more like a tailwind than significant pedal assist. Again, I haven't really ridden it outside of the lowest assist mode. In fact, I've averaged higher speeds on both of my XC bikes than the Neat since I've had it per the Strava numbers. However, as a trail bike, if all you want is a little boost or a bike to use on days that should be rest days, this is the best bike I've used. I find the TQ motor superior to the Fazua in that it is virtually silent and provides the most natural feel.
All in all, I looked it up recently and e-mtbs make up less than 7% of my riding vs my other bikes so I'm probably not the best judge of someone looking for a full e-mtb lifestyle. However, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Neat or Relay to anyone that wanted an SL e-mtb. I'd also happily recommend the Shuttle LT or Repeater PT to someone wanting a heavy, full power e-mtb. I haven't ridden the new version of the Levo SL so I wouldn't be able to comment on that one but the old one is the only bike I've owned in the last 5 years that I thought was a complete POS. Hated it in every way. I think I've owned 18 different bikes, including two other Specialized bikes, in that time and it is the only one I'd say that about.
Also, all of these bikes were purchased at their highest end spec (other than the Levo SL which was one notch below the S-works version) so it is an apples to apples comparison from a component perspective.
